“The Superintendence of Cryptoassets, the government agency that oversees the petro, is a mystery. Reuters recently visited the Finance Ministry, where the Superintendence is supposed to be housed, but was informed by a receptionist that it ‘does not yet have a physical presence here.’

“The Superintendence’s website is not functioning. Its president, Joselit Ramirez, did not respond to messages on his personal social media accounts. Phone calls to the Industry Ministry, which oversees the agency, went unanswered.”

Reuters also tried to find petro buyers without much success, as the government doesn’t provide records. An anonymous buyer says everything went smoothly, and blames the U.S. for the petro’s bad rep, yet another feels “scammed.” Experts on the subject doubt that the currency is actually trading at all and most digital currency market sites don’t deal with petros.

Meanwhile, the town of Atapirire, Anzoategui, deals with the ordinary Venezuelan pains: blackouts, decay, hunger and despair. Nothing about petros in sight, which is odd, since that’s where part of the oil reserves allegedly backing the petro are.